Throughout public washroom facilities, as a protection against the spread of disease and the waste of water, automatic faucets have been installed. These faucets are activated by placing a hand in the vicinity of the outlet of a faucet spout. Mounted in the faucet spout are sensors (for example, infrared transmitter and receiver assemblies) that detect the presence of an object and activate an electronic circuit to open an automatic water valve controlling the flow to the spout. Because automatic faucets are normally placed in public washrooms, it is desirable that all portions of the automatic faucet be tamper resistant. Also, as with products that will be in the public view, it is desirable that they have a pleasing appearance (aesthetic design) and that multiple models be available from which architects and interior designers may select a particular design. As with all manufactured products, it is desirable that the cost of manufacture, which includes the cost of assembly, is minimized.
Numerous automatic faucet designs have been proposed, for example, as found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,681,141; 4,735,357; 5,060,323; 5,165,121; and 5,224,509.
It is an object, according to this invention, to provide an easily assembled, tamper-resistant faucet assembly for an automatic faucet.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a faucet assembly constructed of standardized components for flexibility and variety in the shape of the spout body.